Beneath the Wraps

            Since we moved into the ward Jaime has suggested a ward trunk-or-treat.   Now that she is gone, the ward did their first trunk-or-treat this year.   The trunk-or-treat activity started at 5:00 followed by a party featuring a chili and corn bread cook off.    It had a better turn out and a lot more participation than I had expected.   There were several contests for trunk d é cor , costume, and chili (to name a few) I was surprised that we had two costume winners in our household.   Ally took 1 st price for children 11 and under.    Richard won 1 st place for over 12 category.  Neither our trunk (which we had not expected anyway) nor chili won – but there were several chilis.   I don ’ t know who was supposed to test them all.   I think there were at least 20 and almost as many corn breads.

One of my goals this year was to post a specific word at least every other week.   I don’t know that I posted any words in the month of October.   I haven’t been making good use of my time and didn’t post what I had in mind for yesterday.   I had to take the car in but figured I would write my post after I returned home. While at the mechanics I received a phone call but couldn’t seem to answer it in time. I saw that it was one of the elementary schools and tried to return the call, but it didn’t go through.   I realized there was a message and listened to it.   The assignment is not until next week.   I called back to let them know that I can only work one of the two days that were mentioned. I went home and looked up available sub jobs to accept the assignment, only it wasn’t listed.   Instead, I saw a position at the middle school for yesterday – though it was passed the time posted.   I called the school to ask if someone was still n...

When I was Jenna’s age, I don’t recall Halloween being dragged out the way it is now.   At school we dressed up in costume and then there was trick-or-treating.   One day.  One night.  Not all week and all month.  Jenna dressed up in costume when she attended preschool but not with attending elementary. I don’t know of any schools who continue with that tradition.   Jenna’s school doesn’t. Before we moved to West Valley we spent a week of Halloween going to different events each day.   Jenna had dressed as a fairy – from full outfit to just wings. It started out with Sunny helping Jenna to create a wand – which we would use as a prop for her costume. There was the after school carnival that the high schoolers had put on for the children in elementary school, our own personal make-up party, a fall festival, and finally the trunk or treat.   We used to do an annual Halloween party in that particular ward, but I don’t recall ...

Jenna’s favorite princess, without a doubt, is Brave’s Merida .   Each November first she has announced what her costume will be for Halloween for the following year and each year she changes her mind – though there seem to be fewer changes.   I know better than to plan her costume before October – although with the last two years she has only changed her mind two or three times compared to the initial eight (life was just so much easier when I was the one picking out costumes for her) In November of 2010 she announced that she would be Big Baby from Toy Story 3.  Really?  After nine months I decided that maybe she really was going to go through with it and started looking for something she could use – though having my then seven year old running around the neighborhood in a dirty onesie did not thill me nor did I have a clue how to do her eyes so that she could still use both of hers in order to see. .  I was grateful when she fin...

         Jenna LOVES to sing, and dance, draw, learn, explore . . . I have wanted so badly to enroll her in dance lessons, or music lessons, art classes , etc.  I have even considered sports when she has shown interest – but it was always out of reach financially - even on those rare times when it looked like the class itself might be in reach, I knew that the costumes (or uniforms) would get out of hand.           Last summer I had the opportunity of enrolling her in a peewee theatre class taught by a gal who had instructed children’s theatre in New York.  Jenna would have an opportunity – not only to act, but to sing, to dance and perform and hopefully make new friends.           The play is never done in its entirety.  The instructor has been given only six to eight weeks to rehearse before putting on the show.     ...